# Are You Bilingual? How Did you Learn?



## pinksugar (Aug 12, 2008)

I've been thinking about this a LOT as I really want to go overseas for work experience late next year.

So I thought it'd be fun to ask you guys a few questions about languages!

A. Do you speak more than one language? what do you speak?

B. How did you learn? at home as a baby? at school?

C. If you learnt after childhood, how long did it take you to become fluent or reasonably fluent?

Now don't freak me out and tell me that it takes YEARS of hard study to learn! tell me it's not too hard and it won't take longer than 8 months, with 2 months of intensive study on top of that!! (If I don't get any responses to this, I'll know what you're all thinking




)


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## Karren (Aug 12, 2008)

I had 10 years of spanish in 2nd through 12th grades and I learnt enough to get around Spain and Mexico.... And order un quarto de libre con queso (quarter pounder with cheese) at Mc Donald's in Madrid... lol


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## Ashley (Aug 12, 2008)

Your school system taught a foreign language in 2nd grade Karren? That's cool.

I've had 3 years of spanish and I know nothing!

However, I do think it will be easier if you areinto the environment and forced to speak the language instead of learning on your own or only in a class.

Where are you thinking about going?


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## xtiffanyx (Aug 12, 2008)

I could speak Cebuano, Bisaya(IDK what the proper name is) when I was little. A little over a year after we moved to the Philippines I was decent enough to understand and carry on conversations...so I guess I'd say it took about a year and a half to become pretty fluent. I guess being so young helped. We moved back to the US when I was 10 and I quickly lost it



.

I took Spanish many years in Junior High and High School, but I'm nowhere near fluent. I've wanted to learn Russian for a long time...I had Rosetta Stone, but I didn't learn too much from it. I'd love to be able to speak Hindi so that I could watch Bollywood movies without the subtitles



.


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## ninalovesmakeup (Aug 12, 2008)

I use to be fluent in Korean when I was little, but after I move to the states it was all lost. I wish I would have kept up with it. I've had 5 classes in French. French 1, 2, 3AP and two years in college. I really want to become fluent in French. I love the language and would love to visit there soon enough.


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## kcam125 (Aug 12, 2008)

A. Do you speak more than one language? what do you speak? yes..Tagalog

B. How did you learn? at home as a baby? at school? at home as a baby


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## daer0n (Aug 12, 2008)

I speak spanish and english fluently, i was born in Mexico, and i lived there for 26 years till i got married to my Canadian husband. But i learned english just by watching tv, and talking to english speakers on the internet, mostly on msn, people that lived in England and the U.S, some in Canada. I started learning when i was 9 years old, we used to have cable and hbo and cinemax had closed captioning, it helped me to listen to the words as well as learn how to spell them, therefore i learned to speak it and write it correctly. I never took lessons anywhere, just by watching tv all these years and speaking to people on the internet, that's all, i understand portuguese, french, and italian, only written though, not spoken, as well as i speak a tiny bit of greek, and hebrew, i write hebrew as well, im just not fluent at all.


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## kbella (Aug 12, 2008)

I speak quite a few...Darija (moroccan dialect), Arabic (official language), French (second language), English (Because we were forced to choose a third language in high school), Spanish (Self-taught...I did a lot of novelas watching



)

My next target is portuguese (just coz i love Brazil



)

To learn a language, you have to be determined, passionate and patient.(loads of practice)

Pinksugar if you really wanna learn a language you can do it in less then a year, depends on how focused you are..good luck!


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## LittleMissLilo (Aug 12, 2008)

I speak Vietnamese, but that was my first language even tho I was born in the states. My parents hadn't perfected their english speaking yet, so instead they had to communicate with me through Vietnamese. I also went to school for it when I was kid so I could learn how to read and write aside from speaking. My mom is french and speaks it fluently, so when I was a kid she used to talk to me sometimes. As I got older I was already speaking two languages so it got kinda hard, but now I'm practicing again. I've had 7 years of french, and can sorta speak it fluently altho it takes me a long time.


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## pinksugar (Aug 12, 2008)

holy cow, some of these stories are pretty inspiring! I can't believe how language-talented our MUTers are! I feel so lame only speaking english, lol!

I want to go to Italy


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## Jinx (Aug 12, 2008)

I hope to pick up at least 2 languages in the next couple years; Spanish is in high demand where I live so that's my current goal- I am curious how y'all picked up spanish watching TV?

I used to watch Univision all the time and the language is so quick, I just basically watched the pictures, lol!!!

I would love to learn French, but there is no one here to communicate with so it wouldn't stick for me, I suspect, unless my kids learn it too.

I wish our public school system was just- SMARTER!!!! The assumption that all we needed was English to get by in the world shows an unbelievable level of arrogance.

To learn another language here is a privelidge (sp??), and that makes no sense. It's a necessity!!

The kids across the street from us go to a private academy have Spanish as part of the school's regular curriculum (they don't have to sign up for it, they don't have to pay extra for it, they don't have to get instructor approval for it. It is as much part of their day as math and spelling); they've been learning since 2nd grade, I think.


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## pinksugar (Aug 12, 2008)

Jinx, I kind of agree with you. learning since childhood would be MUCH easier than having to learn in adulthood. Although most places speak english, I think languages are really important in terms of cultural identity. I hate the thought of countries losing that because they use english a lot more.

I've been trying to surround myself with Italian as much as possible, just turning onto the Italian language option on my dvds, but they speak SO FAST! I hope I can learn to keep up! eek!


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## La_Mari (Aug 12, 2008)

I was born/raised in Los Angeles, and back then our school taught us in Spanish, so that was my first language, and obviously my parents and family spoke it to me.

Then when I was 6 we moved here to Washington, and I pretty much stayed quiet in school and my cousin translated most things to me English to Spanish. So I learned English in 1st and 2nd grade. I too think it's easier when you are forced to speak it. And actually I used to get like the highest spelling scores in school because it was so much easier when I would sound it out in Spanish.

I don't have a Spanish accent anymore, maybe on a couple things, like "don't" but I think I speak Spanish a little funny. Some people say I speak it really well, but I get shy if I talk too much because I don't want to say something stupid lol. As in gramatically wrong.

I did take like 3 years of German almost 6 years ago, I can only recognize the basic stuff.


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## CellyCell (Aug 12, 2008)

I so was gunna post a thread like this today, Rosers... get out of my mind. Haha.

I speak Spanish and English. Technically, and according to my mother, Spanish is my first language but as I started to attend school at the tender age of 3 - it turned into broken Spanish and grew to a few words here and there and I only spoke English for some years.

I moved when I was 7, started a new school a year later that forced me to speak Spanish (in effin' AMERICA?!) which totally pisses me off till this day. Yeah, I learned to speak another language but it was a horrible experience my first year. So in this school (in AMERICA!! gah) I was taught only in Spanish for about 4 years. I can read, write and speak Spanish without an accent (doesn't sound "white washed") but I can't have full conversations because it's been so long since I've actually done things only in Spanish and it's difficult to memorize words. Although, I don't think I'd want to learn more of it - I know enough to get by in a Spanish speaking country so I'm good with that.

It's better that than being my sister who knows nothing of Spanish and has silent conversations with my Grandma while I laugh.

I think, if you live there and was sorta "forced" to speak another language - you can get it in a year or even less. Especially Romance language because a lot of words translate and have the same meaning. Like Problem in Spanish is Problema and so on.

Mari! We can relate, haha.


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## laurafaye (Aug 12, 2008)

I've studied French for about 6 years, I think I'm alright, I still have loads to learn though. They speak so fast as well I find it pretty hard to keep up when watching a French film or whatever. I'm taking it for another 2 years so I'll see how it goes.


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## Andi (Aug 12, 2008)

IÂ´m fluent in German (my 1st language) and IÂ´d say almost fluent in English. If my parents would have taken the time you could have added Slowenian to the list. My entire family on both sides is bilingual (German and Slowenian) due to our geographical proximity to the Slowenian border, and weÂ´re also part of an Austrian/Slowenian minority. But, my parents were lazy, so my brother and I are the only non bilingual people in our family. Sucks for us, huh!

IÂ´ve had to study English for 8 years total, and I was a good student, but my 6month exchange student program in high school is what made me lose almost all of my foreign accent. What made me say almost fluent is that of course I might not know a word here or there, but most people wouldnÂ´t notice that cause IÂ´d just use a different word that I know.

I also had 6 years of Italian in school, and I was the best of my class, but after spending 6 months in the US I wasnÂ´t all that interested in the language anymore. And just 6 months of not practicing made me forget so many words. I can still understand most, but speaking...forget about it. ItÂ´s pretty sad actually, cause it wasnÂ´t all that easy to learn


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## emily_3383 (Aug 12, 2008)

I speak Spanish.


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## BeachBarbie (Aug 12, 2008)

I'm fluent in French.

I took all four years in high school and placed into senior courses in college, so i received credit for lower levels, thus finishing my minor requirements in the first year. woo!

I took to the language really easily, but when i went to Catholic school, they had one of their nuns from Guatamela teach us Spanish in 7th and 8th grade. I could not learn Spanish to save my life!


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## LilDee (Aug 12, 2008)

yep, Dutch and English..

I was born in Holland.. and we spoke it at home..

But I moved to Canada the first time at one year old.. so I did part of my elemantary school here.. and basically grew up speaking English everywhere but at home..

Then.. i moved back to Holland and did up to grade 11 there (Havo4).. and I finished my grade 12 here in Canada.. and have lived here for the past 5 years..





So it was kind of important for me to be fluent in both languages..


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## magosienne (Aug 12, 2008)

french is my maternal language. i also speak english. when we enter junior highschool (11-12 years old), we learn our first foreign language (compulsory), and i took english. i had a good teacher and a good book, so it helped me get good bases since the first year. i never ceased practising it until i finished high school. although i have a terrible, french, accent.

i also took spanish classes, starting from the third year of junior high, when i was about 14. but i lost it all since i entered uni, as i didn't have the same opportunities to speak in that language. i still have some vocabulary and basic sentences. shame because i was really good at it.

i also took some latin classes, which are only used in law as we have some expressions in latin.

i think it is totally possible to learn quickly a language, especially when you're in the foreign country.

what also helped me a lot, and frankly i regret no one has told me that earlier, is to watch as many movies/tv series as you can (even with subtitles). same goes with music and books. from books you get the vocabulary and the grammar help, and from the movies and music you get the sound of it. i've started this when i was finishing high school, thanks to my teacher who lent me some books and told me where to buy them in english.


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## bCreative (Aug 12, 2008)

I'm not bilingual but I would love to learn another language! I would love to learn Japanese!


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## Adrienne (Aug 12, 2008)

A. Do you speak more than one language? what do you speak?

Yes, i speak spanish.

B. How did you learn? at home as a baby? at school?

It was my first language before i entered school.

I would still love to learn a different language.


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## Jinx (Aug 12, 2008)

Originally Posted by *MissBGlam* /img/forum/go_quote.gif I'm not bilingual but I would love to learn another language! I would love to learn Japanese! Oh TOTALLY Japanese!!Actually Japanese or Chinese would be great in a business and growing global way!


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## *Gigi* (Aug 12, 2008)

I am not bilingual yet, but I have to learn spanish before next September. My bf and I are going to Mexico to visit his family. I hope I pick it up quickly!


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## blueangel1023 (Aug 12, 2008)

Aside from English I speak Chinese (cantonese) and Spanish. I'm trilingual  /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" />

Chinese was my 1st language. Since my parents were workaholics I was left in care of my grandparents, so around them I would speak it. Otherwise, English would be the main language of the household. Kind of sad since I don't use it often, my chinese is broken up. Like I'd have to think about how I should go around saying it (translating English to Chinese) in my head. lol

I learned Spanish in school. Took it from 6-12th grade. Then another 2 yrs in college, so that's a total of 8 yrs. Not at all hard to learn (least for me it wasn't) It's kind of funny because where I work there's always a lot of tourists and most often or not, they speak Spanish. Even if they're italian they would understand some of it. My coworkers wouldn't know how to translate and they often get frustrated telling them how much something is, but for me it just comes naturally. Then they get shocked that I know Spanish. I could read and write in spanish too, that's always a plus






I would love to learn Italian and/or French.


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## pinksugar (Aug 12, 2008)

lol, Aude, I watched "Look who's talking" with the Italian language settings on! maybe I'll download some italian music



Books... at the moment it would have to be kid's books, haha... Like maybe spot or something simple


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## Bec688 (Aug 12, 2008)

My grandparents on my mothers side are Polish and Ukranian, I can understand bits and pieces of what they say if they are speaking in their natural tongue.

I took french in year 11 and 12 and only remember a few common phrases and how to be polite lol

MY neighbours daughter went and did an internship in Canada a few years back and she did it in Montreal, she didn't know a stitch of french before she went there and when she came back, she was fluent. She said the easiest way to learn a language is to actually live there!


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## xoxmonicaxox (Aug 13, 2008)

I speak french and english fluently..lol Im Canadian haha. French is my mother tounge and english because I started at english school in the 4th grade. Id loveeee to learn Spanish, my grandma is Spanish and speaks it here and there and I want to learn. Ive heard some people say if you know french... spanish is easier to learn..who knows, I might give it a go sometime. whats rosetta stone?


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## Xuity (Aug 13, 2008)

Originally Posted by *kbella* /img/forum/go_quote.gif My next target is portuguese (just coz i love Brazil



)
I'm proud to hear it from a MUT member! 
I'm brazilian, so I naturally speak portuguese. At very young age, I've learned English and i am pretty fluent.

When I grew up, I've learned French and that's it for now.

Looking forward to learn both Spanish and German.


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## bia910 (Aug 13, 2008)

im fluent in both english and spanish. Technically my first language is spanish since i came to this country and had to learn english. but since so much time has passed i feel english has turned into my main language as im most comfortable speaking it.


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## SqueeKee (Aug 13, 2008)

Well, part of my heritage is French. My great grandparents (adoptive) came from St. Malo, France but when they moved to Canada they were forced (by the church and government) to learn English . . . their surname was anglicized (it was the same with all french families, "LeBlanc" became "White", "Olivier" became "Oliver", "Lejeune" became "Young" etc) and they had to teach their children English. 

My parent's generation realized what a rip off this was and kicked up enough fuss that a french school was build in my area. It started out as a 2 room school in the early 80's and then a bigger one was built later on. I spent 1 year in the 2 room school and the rest of my school years in the bigger one. We weren't allowed to speak english at all, except when we were in English class. If we spoke 3 words of english a teacher had the right to give us detention!

So that's pretty much how I learned the language I should have spoken from birth!

Also, my maternal grandmother (biological) was _Acadienne_ and so were a lot of the other families around. Therefore, most of us frenchies in that area speak a mixture of Acadian French (Especially the palatalisation of "k" and "g" sounds)and _chiac



_


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## pinksugar (Aug 13, 2008)

kee, that's so sad... isn't that called cultural genocide or something? I really think languages and cultural differences is what makes us special. If we all looked and spoke the same, and had the same ceremonies etc, how boring this world would be.


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## SqueeKee (Aug 13, 2008)

Yea it's not cool but I guess that's just how things were back then. At least all the complaints by parents got the school up and running. It's not the same though, we grow up learning French because we _have_ to and only really appreciate after we're grown and by that time a lot of us become rusty!


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## ADSCOSMETICS (Aug 13, 2008)

I speak fluent Russian and English. I understand a little bit of Hebrew, a little bit of Yiddish (Aramaic), a little bit of Polish (was friends with a girl for 13 years) and of course, the Spanish I learned in HS/college.

Russian is my native language and I learned English through MTV, actually.. and just by hearing it spoken around me. The other languages are spoken on and off in my house so I grasped on to them. My mother speaks 4 languages and understands some Arabic. My father speaks 3 but understands a little bit of Ukrainian and Yiddish.

You can tell I'm VERY Jewish!


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## magosienne (Aug 13, 2008)

Originally Posted by *pinksugar* /img/forum/go_quote.gif lol, Aude, I watched "Look who's talking" with the Italian language settings on! maybe I'll download some italian music



Books... at the moment it would have to be kid's books, haha... Like maybe spot or something simple



Lol ! my very first book in english was the Hobbit, kid's book too


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## kbella (Aug 13, 2008)

Originally Posted by *Xuity* /img/forum/go_quote.gif I'm proud to hear it from a MUT member! 
I'm brazilian, so I naturally speak portuguese. At very young age, I've learned English and i am pretty fluent.

When I grew up, I've learned French and that's it for now.

Looking forward to learn both Spanish and German.

Oi Xuity!



I have Brazilian friends that are helping me learn portuguese..well few words, and I absolutely love the phonetics..pretty interesting.


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## Dollface2 (Aug 14, 2008)

I speak English but I am trying very hard to learn French, cuz my daughter married a man from Paris. He speaks very good English and is trying to teach me French. I also use CD's with French lessons. I've got a l-o-n-g ways to go.


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## Killah Kitty (Aug 14, 2008)

I speak fluent Greek, I learned it as a baby before I learned English. My whole family is Greek and my grandmother raised me most, and she spoke no English. I went into school not knowing a word of English but learned really quickly.

I can understand a little French from having to take it in school, and a little Italian, because we have a few Italians in our family as well, but not fluent at all with either language.

I did meet a French lady when I was in Greece a few years ago and did have a French conversation with her though





My BF is trying really hard to learn Greek as he feels left out whenever hes with my family, I got to say its going really slowly lol. Its easiest when you are at a certain place for some time and have to speak the language everyday.


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## Leony (Aug 14, 2008)

*A. Do you speak more than one language? what do you speak?*

I speak three languages, Japanese, English and Indonesia as my native language.

*B. How did you learn? at home as a baby? at school?*

English:

I didn't take any class or any other education for English subject. I'm a self taught. I learned English from TV, direct conversation with the native speakers and I think I remember my grandparents also taught me a little English when I was 7 years old.

Japanese:

Japanese is also the same I didn't take class nor study the language in college. I came to Japan 10 years ago and in less than 3 months I was able to speak Japanese daily conversation. And later I studied more on how to read and write Japanese character. Although I can only read about 500 kanjis but I'm still learning more everyday and using it in my daily activity.

*C. If you learnt after childhood, how long did it take you to become fluent or reasonably fluent?*

English I'm not really sure. I think I became more fluent after I used it as my daily language years ago before I learned Japanese.

And for my Japanese, I was able to speak Japanese fluently after living in Japan for 6 months.

I was raised by my grandparents and both speak more than 6 languages so I think inherited this ability from my grandparents.

I also took a TOEFL test 5 years ago because I wanted to study abroad and I got accepted in one of San Francisco art school but I had to turn down the offer because I couldn't leave my husband with his diabetes condition



.


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## amanda1210 (Aug 14, 2008)

I speak Chaldean which is basically modern aramaic, pretty close to arabic. I just learned it growing up, being surrounded by people speaking it (all my family and family friends), i learned a few words in arabic, but only because they are "easy" words or because they sound so similar to the Chaldean words.

I took spanish for 2 years and basically got a B in the class by writing hola, me llamo Amanda as the answers for all my hw assignments lol (teacher just checked to see that we wrote SOMETHING as an answer) although i kinda do wish she was strict so i could have learned something.


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## ryoko2008 (Aug 14, 2008)

a.

I can speak Thai and English

b.

Thai is my first language and I learned English from books, movie and internet

c.

I'm not fluent yet for english but can understand and can communicate in easy English conversation. I used more than 2 years to leaned.


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## pinksugar (Aug 14, 2008)

ryoko, did you have any lessons at all? or just by yourself. That is pretty impressive, within 2 years!

By the way, I have been to Thailand a few times now - it is so beautiful there!


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## Retro-Violet (Aug 14, 2008)

i speak farsi (iranian launage) as my 2nd launage.

ive been speaking it since i was a kid since my parents always spoke it to me. at one point they hired me an english touter when i was like 3 cause i keept speaking farsi insted of english. however, the tourter was philiepino (sp?). so i started to speak with that kind of accent insted. it was funny.

but now i have really no accent expcet for the midwest-slight minnesotan one that occationally comes out.


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## ryoko2008 (Aug 14, 2008)

Originally Posted by *pinksugar* /img/forum/go_quote.gif ryoko, did you have any lessons at all? or just by yourself. That is pretty impressive, within 2 years!
By the way, I have been to Thailand a few times now - it is so beautiful there!

I used to take some english courses but I didn't get any good result so i try to find the way to improve my english by my self and i found some methods that work for me.


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## pinksugar (Aug 14, 2008)

That's really cool! I like to hear stories like that since I want to learn before next year!

very encouraging!


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## magneticheart (Aug 14, 2008)

*A. Do you speak more than one language? what do you speak?*

I speak English (my 1st language), Spanish and Turkish.

*B. How did you learn? at home as a baby? at school?*

Well, I obviously learned English as a baby but I learned Spanish in High School. I was taught for 3 years (the last year was mainly coursework which basically went over stuff so I didn't learn much then) and although I'm not fluent I could get by in a Spanish speaking country. I was a lot better than other people in my class because I actually wanted to learn. Other students just had the 'I'll never use it so why should I learn' attitude where as I loved learning another language. I'm now in the process of learning Turkish. I went there on holiday and was quite inspired by how Turkish people there have learnt English to attract tourists so I decided I'd learn Turkish. I've been teaching myself for around a year now through language phrase books, the internet, language CD's and Turkish speaking people. Language CD's are very good although phrase books can be hard to get a grasp of. When I'm on holiday (or speaking through email to a family friend who lives in Turkey) I ask what things are in Turkish and get taught new phrases then. And when you get a basic grasp and you hear someone say a sentence with 6 words in it and you know 5 of the words then you usually can guess the other word and then you've learnt something else. Also when someone tells me a word or phrase I'll write it down how I would say it and not how it's actually spelt, which makes it easier to remember.

*C. If you learnt after childhood, how long did it take you to become fluent or reasonably fluent?*

I'm not really fluent in Turkish or Spanish. I don't see myself learning anymore Spanish because I think I know all I need to know and I'm going to concentrate on my Turkish. But hopefully I'll get a lot better at Turkish in the future


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## vesna (Aug 14, 2008)

I speak Ukrainian somewhat fluently. It took me about 2 years of self teaching to get to that point but I still have to work quite hard to maintain it because it's not a language you tend to hear much of in this country so it would be easy to start forgetting some things.

I can understand the basics of Russian and Polish mostly through similarities between these languages and Ukrainian. I'd really like to learn Russian properly though. I can also speak a little German and used to speak very good French as a young child because my cousin's wife was French and would speak it to me but when they moved to England I lost it which is a real shame.

I'd love to learn Hindi and Arabic. My boyfriend speaks fluent Persian and Arabic and he's trying to teach me some but I feel a bit hopeless at it.


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## perlanga (Aug 14, 2008)

I also speak Spanish of course, it was my first language. I was born in L.A. and it seems like everybody speaks Spanish there way more than English.

I also took some French in high school, but I only know the basics.

I really want to learn how to speak Italian so bad, I'm gonna get one of those cd's. I also want to learn Russian, cause they sound so sexy when they speak.


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## ADSCOSMETICS (Aug 14, 2008)

lol! I didn't know Russian was so popular.. and SEXY? Maybe I'll speak it more often, then.

P.S.-- I don't mind helping someone learn! =) Ask anything.


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## vesna (Aug 14, 2008)

Russian language definitely is very sexy. But then so are Russian people. Some people think French or Italian sound sexy but I agree that Russian does it for me much more.


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## Mariposita (Aug 14, 2008)

*A. Do you speak more than one language? what do you speak?*

I speak English, Spanish, very little German, and even less Italian

*B. How did you learn? at home as a baby? at school?*

I learned Spanish at home. It was my first language. I picked up English during my first years of school.I learned a bit of Italian for less than a year in high school. I learned some German for 2 years in high school. I've forgotten a lot of it. I might just take it in college. I also want to learn many other languages.



C. If you learnt after childhood, how long did it take you to become fluent or reasonably fluent?

Oh, just took me a few of years to get my English perfected(this was during childhood). I learned to get my pronunciation right with T.V shows and just talking to people at school. I didn't think about it, just imitated.

For me, German was easier to learn for me than for other people in my class. I think being bilingual to start with might just make the process easier. I don't know, just learning the details and imitating pronunciation is easier. I did not get any practice outside that class, and it was only for two years, so I am not fluent in German at all!

My Spanish now has become a bit broken. I can get away with it just fine, but I cannot be as eloquent as I am in English. I only speak Spanish to my family. English is for everything else.


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## Maja (Aug 14, 2008)

I speak Slovenian, Serbian, English, some German and I'm learning Italian now.

I learned Serbian from my father's side of the family.

I studied English in both primary and grammar school and I studied English literature at uni; which totals 12 years (I'm so old). I recently passed the Cambridge Business English Certificate with the highest mark, so I'm officially fluent in business English (I had to throw this one in LOL I'm proud as a peacock for passing)

I also studied German for 4 years, but I understand more than I can speak. I can manage basic conversations used for shopping and ordering food





I recently got one of those learn Italian audio books and I'm listening and repeating on my way to work every day. I really like it.


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## jayleelah (Aug 14, 2008)

I studied Dutch for 10 years and let me tell you I'm really not fluent at ALL !!! Belgian school system is really not good.

Anyhoo.... I understand and can have a normal conversation.

I also studied spanish (3 years), german (6 months lol but hey I can order in restaurants, do some shopping and ask for the way if I'm lost)

English was my second language in high school.

Arabic (or Darija as Kbella mentionned it) is supposed to be my mother tongue. First day at school me no speak french at all!!!!!! But over the years I forgot a lot.

I can have a conversation with a salesperson in Egypt, they don't understand Moroccan Arabic but I do understand most of what they say.

oh! and I know some words in Turkish lol

excuse the spelling :

seni sevi yorum (I love you)

tcho gusel (very beautiful)

egulner (good morning)

tamam (ok)

piss orospo (******)

....


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## SqueeKee (Aug 15, 2008)

Originally Posted by *ADSCOSMETICS* /img/forum/go_quote.gif lol! I didn't know Russian was so popular.. and SEXY? Maybe I'll speak it more often, then. 
P.S.-- I don't mind helping someone learn! =) Ask anything.

OH for sure. Imo, Russian is wayyy sexy. It's prolly my fave. It's not as froo-froo as some other languages


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## perlanga (Aug 15, 2008)

Originally Posted by *ADSCOSMETICS* /img/forum/go_quote.gif lol! I didn't know Russian was so popular.. and SEXY? Maybe I'll speak it more often, then. 
P.S.-- I don't mind helping someone learn! =) Ask anything.

Russian is supersexy be it guy or girl. I see guys speaking Russian in those mob movies, they are freakin suave! God forbid I ever run into a guy who speaks Russian and is easy on the eyes cause I'm screwed!


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## pinksugar (Aug 15, 2008)

lol you girls and your Russian! I think Italian is sexy! Lots of languages are sexy!


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## Jinx (Aug 15, 2008)

Mmmm..

Russian is HOT!

I met a Russian dude in Vegas years ago who was managing a Russian kickboxer there and he was slick, honey!

I suspect he may have been, ummmm, "juiced", ya know??

Maybe that led to the sexy.


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## ADSCOSMETICS (Aug 15, 2008)

I seriously feel sexier after reading all this!

You girls are so crazy. =)


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## xtiffanyx (Aug 15, 2008)

I agree about Russian being very sexy


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## banapple (Aug 15, 2008)

I can speak Chinese (Mandarin), English, and I can understand Shanghai dialect perfectly(I think it's called Wu)I don't speak it anymore because I had a terrible nanny a long time ago(long story) I can, but I have a retarded accent and everyone's used to me not speaking it lol

and I can read some latin (took 3 years at HS) rofl

Chinese is my first language,so was shanghai-nese lol

I learned english when I moved to the US at the age of 10, took like half a year to a year for me to be really fluent. I learned pretty fast because there were practically no asians where I lived and my dad forced me to write english everyday. I don't have an accent either(surprising to a lot of people)

I want to learn: Korean...soooo badly because I like korean culture and their shows, music etc. it'd be so much easier if I understood and didn't have to strain my eyes to read subtitles.


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## ParisTroika (Aug 15, 2008)

I took all dead languages (Latin, Greek, Biblical Hebrew, and Ugaritic) because you don't have to learn to speak any of them...haha.

I took three years of Arabic in college...Modern Standard...a year of Egyptian, and a year of Levantine. To be FLUENT in Arabic, my Arabic prof (he is FANTASTIC...specialist in pre-Islamic poetry, from Egypt, and is also on staff at the American University in Cairo) it takes native English speakers many years. NYU is going to have a campus in Abu Dhabi...they're off and running with an undergraduate program but the grad program is years in the works. I'd LOVE to do my PhD over there in Museum Studies while learning Arabic "the right way"...meaning immersion...I need immersion to be able to speak well.

I'd love to learn Persian...it's MUCH EASIER than Arabic.


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## PaperFlowers (Aug 15, 2008)

Spanish and English




I learned Spanish at school.

My next endeavors are to learn Latin and Romanian. I cannot WAIT to get started on those. I'm way psyched. I'll be taking classes in Latin. Romanian, I'll learn on my own.


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## Jinx (Oct 5, 2008)

Hey y'all;

I just wanted to bump this thread to suggest this website someone told me about; very similar to Rosetta Stone's program but it is FREE and yes, it is immersion, yes you can record yourself practicing your new language but what they have that RS does not is native speakers who can give feedback on your submissions and YOU can critique people learning your native language- language buddy system.

The have English, French, Spanish, German, Portuguese, Icelandic (limited), Italian, Hindi, Japanese, Mandarin and Russian and their blog says they added Farsi and Korean but I don't see them on the site, so I don't understand what's up with that.

You can enroll in as many languages that you want- again, for free.

It may have already been mentioned but I couldn't find it in the search. 

Anyway, here's the address;

Livemocha: Learn Languages Online - English, Spanish, French, Italian, Mandarin, ????

Check it out and have fun!


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## pinksugar (Oct 5, 2008)

thanks Jinx! I'm already a member on there! I totally agree with you, it's really quite good!


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## Shelley (Oct 5, 2008)

I speak English and French. I learned French in school from grades 7 to 12. I haven't spoke french for awhile so I'm probably a bit rusty, lol.

My dad is part MÃ©tis (french canadian and native canadian) and he spoke both english and french while growing up. The area he grew up in was a mix of english and french speaking. Back then there was a lot of racism towards french and native people,so he spoke more english and didn't let on that he was part MÃ©tis.

My mom has some Portuguese in her ethnic background and that is a language I would like to learn.


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## magosienne (Oct 5, 2008)

I'll check out that link Jinx, i'm supposed to take up a second language for uni, and i haven't spoken a work of spanish for 6 years, so i bet i'm really rusty. Not really motivated though...


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## PurpleTai (Oct 5, 2008)

I am American, but currently live in France. Talk about a great motivator for learning a language!





I took intensive French (total immersion) once here and had only had 1 semester of French before (grant it, in France) movng, so I can't really help you.

Perhaps you could search for an intensive class before you go?


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## CestErin (Oct 5, 2008)

It is never too late to start learning. People always say it is best when one is a kid but since that is just not an option now...

A few years ago I started studying French. I used books, Internet, and audio CDs. My levels - I don't know what "levels" but -

I read with few problems. I write it well enough to get my point across but there are mistakes. I speak it somewhat, OK accent but I speak slow. Hearing it tho, I still struggle. That is part due to my laziness.

To learn ANYthing the quickest here is what to do -

Be honest with yourself and ask what your best learning method is.

Some people MUST go to a class and others like me learn on their own.

I don't take classes cause for the $225, I would already know everthing a "class" would have to offer. Je m'apelle Erin, j'ai 33 ans, j'habit Ã  Indianapolis, je suis mariÃ©, j'ai un fils, ma voiture est belle, mes voisons sont des Ã©nc [oops can't say that one,bad Erin ]...

If you want to home school yourself -

Find interesting study material. Most of it is really boring, even at advanced levels. Try to find interesting reads and what not. Yes the beginner stage you will have to pay your dues and suffer the boring junk but beyond that it is time to have fun.

How long does it take? I would say in the 7 months you have left, you could learn enough to just get by day to day. However, that is assuming you have a genuine interest.

ODDITIES ABOUT OTHER LANGS -

You will run into some things about other languages that are going to seem REAL strange. Like they have TONS of masculine and feminine nouns, and those nouns effect the verbs and adjectives. And of course there is seldom a rhyme or reason as to WHY a noun is masculine ore feminine.

Like in French, the nouns tree, desk, office, pencil, pen, pantyhose they are all masculine but no one knows why. Car and house are feminine.

Like our language, the context determines the meaning of words spoken. Think of the difference between "I read a book yesterday" and "My car is red". No one will ever think someone "read" your car... yeah anyways...

Since you are a true beginner in Italian, it will probably be next to impossible to hold a conversation, written or spoken, however, if you want to PM me I can send you a link to a couple language sites that you can get started with at least how to learn more. I don't know what the rule is for posting links in threads so until I get around to reading the rules I will assume it is not allowed.

On the site you could use the Italian room and maybe talk to other English speakers learning Italien and find out what worked for them.

Erin


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## magosienne (Oct 6, 2008)

Lol Erin, tss, bad girl !


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## girlo (Oct 6, 2008)

English is my first language as i was born in the US. I also speak dutch. I moved to Holland at 14 and stayed for a couple years. I was placed into an international school so I was able to learn the language very quickly. within three months I was able to go to a dutch school. after about 7 months i got to the point where i started to think in dutch. I've been back in the US for a couple years and I am already losing alot.


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## CestErin (Oct 7, 2008)

Originally Posted by *pinksugar* /img/forum/go_quote.gif thanks Jinx! I'm already a member on there! I totally agree with you, it's really quite good! Only crudd thing is that the voice feature of livemocha is really pitiful, like when you want to do the spoken exercises, IF it works at all. For some reason a lot of the members at livemocha seem shy.

Unlike me, I am not capable of being shy.

Also pinksugar, I use the French lessons and I have noticed there are a lot of programming flaws in the written parts where you have to write or put words in order. I don't know if the Italien courses are like that. Point is if it keeps coming back saying you made errors but you KNOW you did not, it might be a program glitch.


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## pinksugar (Oct 7, 2008)

yes, I have seen a few glitches... but it's better than most of the other sites I've seen, it's a nice place to start at least!

I was watching the italian news the other day and the main problem is that they speak SO FAST! Lol!


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## Jinx (Oct 7, 2008)

I saw on the Live Mocha blog they have noted some known issues, so as long as they are told by the users of stuff, they take steps to improve it; which is one of the big draws of the site- user participation.

Also, they have the "submit ideas" section that you can post things you want to see added or whatever and they appreciate the suggestions and a lot of times they add them to the system.

It is always growing, it looks like.


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## Miss World (Oct 9, 2008)

I speak Arabic (maternal language) and studying a foreign language is compulsory in our schools and the school I was in taught English only (no other option) .. so yeah, we had to learn it in the 1st grade (alphabets in KG, hehe).. by the 10th grade I took French and Spanish classes but since I didn't practice, I've forgotten both.

I don't think learning any language is hard.. if you really want to learn a language, say French.. take classes to get the basics (grammar and all) and then it all comes down to practicing.. watch as many movies as you can, read as much as you can.. and then it gets easier. the discipline part is "Practicing"



and I believe that there shouldn't be stress, just fun and enjoyment


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## GillT (Oct 9, 2008)

I speak French. I studied it for 9 years. I should really keep it up. I love going to France on holiday and hopefully I'll go back soon.


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## sarah29457 (Oct 12, 2008)

I speak English and Brasilian Portuguese. I grew up with it at my dad's house but am losing it pretty quickly and trying to keep up with it with books and online chats and movies. I took two years of french and plan on taking more. I know a few phrases in German and can pretty much understand Spanish but I'm can't speak it.

Ideally, I'd love to learn seven languages and be a U.N. interpreter. I love learning new languages and culture.

I think that it depends on how immersed you are into the language and how quickly you catch onto it. Anything's possible!


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## TheGreenFairy (Oct 12, 2008)

French in high school - 5years.


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## Lozi (Oct 16, 2008)

It won't take years, especially if you're going to live in that country!! They say maybe 3months tops with total immersion and you'll pick up the language!

English is my first language, and am quite fluent in speaking/listening (not reading...haaaa) Japanese. Took a 2hr class every week for 4yrs, and did a study abroad for 1 month in Japan. I learned the most in that, cuz it was total immersion --- we were put in the rice fields, literally, so the families didn't know any English besides, "are you ok?" and "A UFO!!!" I also liked to watch japanese dramas (and practiced without the subs) and read manga to increase vocabulary....and of course Karaoke!!! I think that's the best way to learn a new language!!

So yeah, it took 4yrs for me but 2hrs/week is not very much at all - you could probably learn it in at least half the time. But Japanese is also very easy to learn, I think XD. It's at the point now that I quit Japanese school, because it's too boring now, and it feels like the only thing left to learn is more vocabulary....which can be done for free on my own!


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## Dark Ninfa (Feb 10, 2009)

Obviously I speak Spanish.

I speak a bit of english too, but I understand and write it better than I speak it

(Am I understood?)


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## candygalore (Feb 10, 2009)

Hello,im from south america, venezuela and one thing that work for me was waching tv and surrounding my self with people that spoke english , that is how i learn to speak english. Esol really didn't help me that much with the speaking part but it did help me with the writing. Now one thing to remenber is if you do go overseas you can still practice whetever language they speak before you go, but you will speake it more when ever you hear people talking the language you are trying to learn. Another thing will be, make yourself some flash cards with the basics, like how to say hello, goodnigth, good morning etc... And don't be shy if the words that are coming out of your mouth sound funny at first just keep practicing until you know how to pronounce some of them, thats what alots of teachers will tell you too. I hope this help you a little bit.


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## pinksugar (Feb 10, 2009)

thanks candy. It does. It makes me feel so much better when I hear how many people have learnt! if you guys can do it, I can too!


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## pinksugar (Feb 10, 2009)

Dark N, I forgot to say...

yes, you are understood!


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## Orangeeyecrayon (Feb 10, 2009)

i like to think i am bilingual, i know sign language and english. (though some people dont consider signlanguage a true language)

i learned initially because i went to a school where 1/3 of the population was deaf or hard of hearing. they not only offered free classes, but you also tended to pick it up over time because you saw so many other people using it. after i left that school i was still very intrested in sign language so i took a few classes in it to help improve my sign.


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## HairEgo (Feb 11, 2009)

I speak French, English, Spanish, Polish and conversational Punjabi. I learnt Spanish through those tapes you buy and listen too...French I learned in school, and Punjabi through friends


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## Annelle (Feb 11, 2009)

I was born and raised in the US.

I'm have a very high knowledge of English (both technical and casual), took all the honors English/AP courses through college.

I have a somewhat high knowledge of Korean. I can have a casual conversation completely in Korean, but if you want to start talking in "adult conversation" like business, politics, medicine, economics...I just never grew up with that technical vocabulary so it'll be hard for me to follow. (You don't really grow up talking about famine or abortion with your kids. You might talk about "not enough food to eat" but not stuff like "economic depression" -- simple talk vs "technical" talk) My parents moved to the States about a year before I was born. They spoke with me in Korean and I took Korean school on the weekends as a child to learn how to read and write. However my reading and writing is likely around a junior high school level. I did also study Korean in college through the intermediate level (advanced wasn't available), where my final exam included a 5 type-written essay. But I had a few people proof read it for typos &gt;.&gt;

I basically had the same grasp of the English language as I did Korean, the Korean might have even been slightly stronger. I knew the basics of how to read and write both languages by the 2nd grade. I just don't get the practice as much of the Korean.

I studied Spanish in school from junior high until mid-college. During mid-college I'd say I was semi-fluent. I went to Mexico and was able to handle myself around salespeople, having conversations entirely in Spanish. Now though? It's been almost a decade since I studied and although I can get by speaking with my bf's grandmother (she speaks about 5% English and 95% spanish) a lot of the vocabulary is gone from my memory. If I got back to studying it again i'd probably re-learn it somewhat easily, but it'd probably take a good couple month long refresher course of practicing daily.

I've been casually trying to teach myself Japanese but it's hard to try to learn vocabulary without any sort of structure or place to practice it. I've mostly been trying to recognize the hiragana letters for now. Katakana recognition is next, then I figure I'll try to figure out how to pronounce things and try to learn vocab after that. heh. might be backwards. *shrug*


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## Ozee (Feb 11, 2009)

Annelle im impressed. Self taught asian language is hard well done!

Im impressed with everyone who is self taught actually.


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## Annelle (Feb 11, 2009)

lol...I had made flash cards (remember like elementary school?) and played with those for a while. Then I tried figuring out how to build a program thing for myself -- then found somebody who had made one already. It's pretty fun/cool

https://www.msu.edu/~lakejess/Kana_Page.html?bg=1

It saves the ones you get wrong and puts it back into the mix so you end up being drilled over the ones you don't know as well. at least I found it fun, but I'm weird like that! ha. I think the flash cards helped though cause I had an idea on some of them to help me get started on that online game.


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## Ozee (Feb 11, 2009)

I have flash cards i made for my daughter and son, we speak english Farsi and Greek at home so I have flash cards and signs stuck around on certain things in different languages. (im a leaner in Farsi still myself so it helps)

thats a very cool program. thanks for posting link.


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## pinksugar (Feb 11, 2009)

I should do that too. Names of things on furniture and stuff. I can't imagine being able to speak a word at the moment


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## Ozee (Feb 11, 2009)

put post it notes on shoes and stuff in fridge and light switch with on or off on it etc

It'll help alot Rosie. There is always the hot italian stallion as the tutor option LOL j/k (don't let your other half read that!)


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## pinksugar (Feb 11, 2009)

LOL. You're terrible Oz! No italian stallions! I want a nice sensible italian teacher, preferably an older woman!


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## dani88 (Feb 13, 2009)

I'm bilingual and speak French and English. French is all my parents spoke to me at home, since they reasoned that living in the States would allow me to pick English up with no problems, and they were right. All through school I took correspondence courses for either language, to keep up my writing skills in both languages, since I was schooled in both completely French and English depending on where we lived. I am grateful to my parents for the effort and thought they put into my education, it's been a blessing over the years!  If you want to learn other languages, have any of you tried Rosetta Stone? They have a neat website and offer a wide range of languages - it's worth a look!


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## magosienne (Feb 13, 2009)

Annelle that is so funny you try to recognise first hiraganas. I'm quite the contrary, i watch and listen to japanese so i have a faily good idea of how to pronunciate things (that and the fact the sounds are close to those in french) and i learn some vocabulary as well, i watch all my movies in their original versions so with the subtitles i guess which word means what. But apart from the katakanas i use in my notes ("being, person" and "no") and a few kanjis here and there, i have trouble associating these with the vocaculary i know.

What i lack most is a sense of organization, i don't study regularly japanese as uni keeps me busy, and i feel i spend more time re-learning stuff i know than learning new things.


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## Adrienne (Feb 13, 2009)

Originally Posted by *candygalore* /img/forum/go_quote.gif Hello,im from south america, venezuela and one thing that work for me was waching tv and surrounding my self with people that spoke english , that is how i learn to speak english. Esol really didn't help me that much with the speaking part but it did help me with the writing. Now one thing to remenber is if you do go overseas you can still practice whetever language they speak before you go, but you will speake it more when ever you hear people talking the language you are trying to learn. Another thing will be, make yourself some flash cards with the basics, like how to say hello, goodnigth, good morning etc... And don't be shy if the words that are coming out of your mouth sound funny at first just keep practicing until you know how to pronounce some of them, thats what alots of teachers will tell you too. I hope this help you a little bit. Very good advice



I had a spanish teacher who learned spanish in college and she said she never quite grasped the language until she lived in Mexico for a while. Only then did it really all make sense. Don't worry Rosie. You'll do great


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## DasSavva (Feb 14, 2009)

Greek and English.

It's funny. Greek was my first language, but then no one kept it up with me when I was little (don't know why) so English became my primary language. I did know bits and pieces of Greek, but that was it. Since I remembered the alphabet and how to read the letters/words, I basically taught myself a good chunk, had help from family, and spent time in Cyprus, where I learned more. I'm not 100% fluent yet, but I like to think I'm getting there.


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## DermaCaps (Feb 15, 2009)

I'm of Colombian descent and learned English in my early years by watching a lot of television with the subtitles on. Also, getting a significant other that speaks the other language REALLY advances the process.


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## ArcEnCiel (Feb 15, 2009)

I am tri-lingual, English, Spanish and French. I learned Spanish in San Jose, Costa Rica and French in Nice, France. I spent 3 months in both countries. English is my mother tongue and I didn't start learning Spanish till I was about 18 and French 25. Your best bet to learning a language is to go to that country and study there as well for at least 3 months. That will drill it into your head. It doesn't hurt to be passionate about it either.


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## DermaCaps (Feb 15, 2009)

I lived quite some time in San Jose, Costa Rica....Costa Rica is gorgeous!!!


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## jodevizes (Feb 15, 2009)

Hi I have a bit of French and some Italian. I think the very best way to begin is to join a language laboratory where you can really learn to speak correctly. Then join a conversation club and finally go to the country for a few months. You will speak like a native.


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## pinksugar (Feb 15, 2009)

holy cow, Arc, you learnt in 3 months?! awesome! that's so little time!!!

I'm screwed. My time to leave is getting closer and closer, and I feel like I know nothing!


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## T.Mel (Feb 17, 2009)

I'm trilingual (sort of), I'm better speaking than writing






I'm motherlanguage portughese, started to learn english at 11 and italian at 14, I'm also abble to understand french but I'm totaly analfabet! spanishis easy to understand but, for whom thtt speaks portughese and italian is a bit messy, you end speaking every language BUT spanish!

Getting a full immersion course is the best way to learn and improve vocabulary, also the best way to star speaking w/o be shy.

xoxo


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## Gemini Mom (Feb 18, 2009)

I only speak english....I am trying to learn anishinabi which is my native american language. My dad and sister can speak it but I was adopted by an english speaking family...so I only know a word here and there. Kebutch means brat LOL


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## jacqueline.lop (Feb 19, 2009)

I was born in san diego, california and i'm a latina so my first language was spanish. but my parenst quite understoood that english was a necessary language if you live in the united states (btw both my parenst only speak spanish)..ok anyways i was placed in bilingual classes as soon as i started school. one cool thing is that in 8th grade i learned some french and even latin, but now its just a memory bc honestly i cant remember a thing! lol but i'll tell you something positive, when i met my husband he only spoke english. however, i wanted him to learn to speak some spanish because it was hard to be there all the time to translate when he spoke to my spanish speaking family. so i encouraged him to watch spanish shows, cartoons even hahaha, and i also would speak it to him and then translate, then he got into it and would ask me "how do u say this? and this? an this?" now, i can assure you he can get a job in mexico if he had to lol..the trick is you have to keep practicing it, surround yourself by people speaking it and talkkkk!

well g'luck, and atleast give it a try, it'll be a good experince!


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## BUTTERFLYBR (Feb 19, 2009)

I`m Brazilian, so my first language is Portuguese. I learned english in school, and after that I took classes on a language school. I can understand spanish, but can`t really talk.


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## Glamorista (Feb 27, 2009)

French is my mothertongue and I have learnt english by speaking to people on the internet. It only took a few months to learn. I can understand some spanish too.


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## kuuipo415 (Mar 3, 2009)

I was born and raised in california but my parents forced me to learn how to read/speak/write in japanese. I hated it growing up because that meant more additional work on top of what I had from my regular school. But here I am so thankful for what my parents did. I was able to get jobs and great opportunities because of my parents.


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## AnnaKG00 (Mar 4, 2009)

Originally Posted by *Karren* /img/forum/go_quote.gif I had 10 years of spanish in 2nd through 12th grades and I learnt enough to get around Spain and Mexico.... And order un quarto de libre con queso (quarter pounder with cheese) at Mc Donald's in Madrid... lol hahahahahahhaa, that cracked me up! I speak English and Bosnian. I spoke German too, but when we left in '97 and came here there was no one my age I could speak it with. DARN IT!!! What a waste of a whole language!


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## purplejasmine (Mar 4, 2009)

im fluent in both english and japanese



i studied french for 2 yrs, but my french sucks... sigh


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## brightlights (Mar 5, 2009)

I can fumble my way through Italian- my grandmother speaks it and I took a semester of it in college.


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## sam-antha (Mar 9, 2009)

I am Scottish, legally British, but when I first went down to England I found that my accent was impenetrable to some.

I have two Scottish dialects on my tongue in addition to French from School and German from my SO, plus the hefty Bavarian dialect which, like is rather more difficult than any language. (Books with the words a few and far between in any local language).

~Samm


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## Roxie (Mar 10, 2009)

I would love to be able to speak other languages!

I studied the Greek language for a story I was writing a couple years ago, but don't remember any of it - except symbols you use in math





I started learning Spanish a couple years ago, too, but I was doing at home by the use of videos and both the videos and the video player are so old sometimes there is not sound or it goes or fuzzy, so that's ol hold.

I wanted to learn French when I was a kid and tried to teach myself, but that didn't work.

I am thinking of taking up a course in Greek and French, and will eventually (hopefully) get DVDs so that I can finish learning Spanish. If I can get these three under my belt I would love to learn more languages as there is something amazing about speaking and listening to other languages!


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## Desear (Mar 30, 2009)

Heyhey, I speak fluently Finnish, Swedish, English and I've been studying Spanish for two years now, so yet a beginner with that one. Finnish is my native language and I started studying English at the age of nine and Swedish at the age of thirteen.( I'm seventeen now) I absolutely love languages even though the process of learning a new language is _long and frustrating_. So I'm sorry to tell you that it does take years and years to learn one. There's no easy way there, though the fastest way is of course to go to a place where you'll hear the language all the time around you and where you will have to use it. I spent last summer in Italy living in an Italian family and I can tell you that very soon i started to 'get the language' with what l mean that l learned words very quickly and i always knew what the others were talking about which was amazing since didn't speak Italian and I wasn't there to learn it either, though my studies in Spanish may have helped a bit.

Aaanyway, to make the learing faster listen to music, read book, watch series in that specific language, it has helped me a lot with English and Spanish. Even though it can be hard work, it's _extremely rewarding_.

All the best for you!


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## pinksugar (Mar 30, 2009)

thanks Desar! that's a crazy amount of languages right there that you speak! very impressive!


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## Desear (Mar 30, 2009)

heh well dunno about that, Finland is a bilingual country due to our close history with Sweden so we have mandatory Swedish at school, which most students absolutely hate. I can speak the language but for what? For nothing. I'm not going to need it since l'm moving abroad, wouldn't need it here either though (only 5% of the population use that as their main language). So I master a language for nothing heh.

But when I enter uni I'm going to start studying Arabic and after that nooo new languages.

So anyway, where are you going?


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## missmignonne (Mar 30, 2009)

Originally Posted by *purplejasmine* /img/forum/go_quote.gif im fluent in both english and japanese



i studied french for 2 yrs, but my french sucks... sigh That's funny because it's sort of the opposite for me. I'm fluent in english and french(though admittedly I understand french better than I speak it) and i studied japanese for 2 yrs but my japanese sucks...

You can learn a language quite quickly if you use it regularly. Try to find an italian message board or forum and let the people there know you're trying to learn... or alternatively when you're in italy explain that you don't really know the language but you're trying to learn. You might be surprised how much people will help you.


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## pinksugar (Mar 31, 2009)

thanks for the tips ladies





I'll be heading off to Italy in very late July! eek! it's creeping up a lot quicker than I'd like!


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## fragranza (Mar 31, 2009)

well..in speak polish, but... it's quite obviousPP i speak english and i know german a bit( i can write and understand a lot of things).I have spent about 9 months in England, so it helped me to improve a bit my spoken language and i have learnt it at school (but not very intensive



)


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## GirlPaint.com (Apr 1, 2009)

The BEST (not easiest, not cheapest) way to learn a foreign language is to take a basic correspondence course (online, face-to-face tutor, class, software, books...whatever WORKS for you) and then visit a country where the language you want to know is spoken. Then immerse yourself.

Speak to the locals (don't worry, they won't make fun of you...much. Unless you're in Paris, but you know that of course). Find out who speaks your Native language (probably English?) and then ask questions, eg, How do you say...?, What does this mean...?, etc.

Join a message board where people are learning foreign languages. Try Babbel: http://www.babbel.com. It's fantastic for practicing ANY foreign language. And best: it's free.


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## pinksugar (Apr 12, 2009)

thanks GP, I'm checking out that link now





I don't think I'll really know how much (or how little! LOL) I've absorbed until I arrive!


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## RepOslow (Apr 12, 2009)

Norwegian is my first language, but I'm okay at English too. I know SOME French too, but it's not good enough. If could I choose one other language it would be Spanish. Urdu and Arabian would also be tight to know..

What's really cool is if you're a foreigner in a non "English country." A lot of people knows Dutch, Arabian AND English. Same with with Farsi, Norwegian and English.


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## Doya G (Apr 13, 2009)

My first language is Arabic, then comes English.. though i could say my English grammer is better by miles than my Arabic one ..tee hee..

I know some French as well.

I studied in a private school which required us to speak perfect Arabic and English, and take on a third language.


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## pinksugar (Apr 13, 2009)

Doya, how long did it take you to learn?


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## Doya G (Apr 13, 2009)

Learned English?

well since KG.

i took French for only 3 years and its getting rusty now so..

but i dont think its hard to learn a langauge or that it takes too long. most important thing is you find someone to practice speech with.


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## pinksugar (Apr 13, 2009)

I think you're right... I don't have anyone to practise with, and I agree it would help a lot.

I think a partner, with whom you feel super comfortable, would be the easiest to learn a language with. Now to find an italian speaking bf! hehe


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## Doya G (Apr 13, 2009)

loool @ Italian boyfriend.


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## cygne noir (Apr 13, 2009)

I'm actually trilingual, I speak romanian (maternal language), absolutely fluent german (I see it as my maternal l;anguage too ;-)) which I learned before romanian since my mom wanted me to speak fluent german like her... and my grandgrandfather who was partially german... so she used to talk to me in german when I was little. I also obviously speak english which I learned in school...and french...though I don't speak it very very fluently... I just lost my exercise with that...

pinksugar, my best friend moved to spain a couple of years ago and in approx. 9 months she spoke fluently spanish and now ppl dont believe her when she says she's not spanish... so i am sure you can learn italian in no time... it's also not very hard (bt it might be my own oppinion since it does sound a lot like romanian and I understand italian perfectly...I could even speak it buut I'm shy to talk in languages I haven't properly learned...) good luck with it!


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## tika (Apr 13, 2009)

I know Czech and English (some French in middle and high school too). I didn't know English when I started school because my parents only spoke Czech at home. They were still learning English at the time, and my Mom says that she learned a lot from watching Sesame Street with my brother and me.


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## cracottepink (Apr 15, 2009)

i grew up speaking French,but my mother spoke to me English until i was one year old,and she used to run a business with a lot of tourists,so i did always heard English ,so when i went to the UK at 18 years old,my English was decent,except the writting that i never learned as i was going to school for sport and gave up Languages foreign.


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## Humeira (Apr 15, 2009)

A. Do you speak more than one language? what do you speak?

*** yes I do speak more 1 language. I speak my mother tongue gujarati. I also speak fluent hindi, urdu and English afcorse. I can read write in Hindi and gujarati &amp; English. I can read Arabic. But I dont speak Arabic and I cant write Arabic.

B. How did you learn? at home as a baby? at school?

*** I learned english at school(in India , My back home) learned to speak Gujarati at home as a baby coz its my mother tongue. I also learned hindi at school , its the first language in india. I learned to speak urdu coz my dad speaks urdu. Urdu is very similar to Hindi.

C. If you learnt after childhood, how long did it take you to become fluent or reasonably fluent?

*** I learned arabic as a child because i am muslim I follow Islam. So in order to read Quran(Holy book) I was taught to read quran since I was 3-4 yrs old.


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## Bonita_x0 (Jun 13, 2009)

Well I speak Spanish but i was pretty much raised speaking spanish since I was a baby 'cause my parents never spoke English to me. But, being bilinual is a great benefit. Good luck on learning!


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## Razzlebdazzle (Jun 22, 2009)

I can speak 4! I know Farsi because that's my first language and without knowing Farsi in my family you're dead! Then of course English which I'm proud to say I have no accent in. My parents speak Turkish so I grew up around it and I guess I'm self taught at that, and I'm learning French because I used to live in Toronto and I've been taking it since 3rd grade.


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## LIVINGcute (Jun 23, 2009)

Originally Posted by *Jinx* /img/forum/go_quote.gif Oh TOTALLY Japanese!!Actually Japanese or Chinese would be great in a business and growing global way!

I know I'm totally late in chiming in, but I'm new to these forums so forgive me. I'm actually fluent in English and Japanese so if you need any pointers, don't hesitate to holler





I love going to the makeup counters in Japan's department stores. They are just like the American ones, but they often have really cute items that they don't sell in the States. I love those little, neat finds.


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## morgan522 (Jun 23, 2009)

i learned to count to 10 in spanish when i was 4


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## pinksugar (Jun 23, 2009)

Living cute, you are so right, Japanese makeup is gorgeous.

It's SUPER expensive in Australia because of the freight charges I guess.

I learnt some japanese but I think I know more italian now.

You're not too late to chime in! I still haven't left on my trip so it's really interesting hearing how long everyone has taken to learn and how they did it!


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## LIVINGcute (Jun 23, 2009)

Originally Posted by *pinksugar* /img/forum/go_quote.gif Living cute, you are so right, Japanese makeup is gorgeous.
It's SUPER expensive in Australia because of the freight charges I guess.

I learnt some japanese but I think I know more italian now.

You're not too late to chime in! I still haven't left on my trip so it's really interesting hearing how long everyone has taken to learn and how they did it!

I hear ya, pink sugar, Japanese items are super expensive! Especially with the yen skyrocketing. If and when you make it to Japan, go to a store called Loft. They sell lots of cool things, makeup being one of them, and at that particular store, the prices are fairly decent




I'd also been meaning to take up a third language and it's going to be spanish! i picked up a few graphic novels in spanish that i also have in japanese. It will be quite the challenge. I'll let you know how it goes.


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## Asha* (Aug 9, 2009)

An old thread, but anyway...

English is my 2nd language, have learned in school for 10 years, I think (actually it is obligatory for all students)

German is my 3rd language, learnt in school as well, but I do watch german Tv shows a lot (they have very good cooking shows).

English and german are kinda laike, so I sometimes confuse the two





Most people I know speak at least 2 foreign languages, it's probably because we are a small country and our language is not widely spread.


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## pinksugar (Aug 9, 2009)

I've met heaps of people here in italy from all over europe, and almost everyone speaks at least 2 languages! it's crazy! but i've learnt so much just learning for a week!

I hate not knowing what is going on, and that really helps, I hate not being able to read signs or ask for what I want or know what is wrong! it's really frustrating, which makes me want to learn even more! I love talking and communicating so I really enjoy knowing more about the language


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## Sangiovese (Aug 10, 2009)

pfft, I can top all this.

I managed to forget 2.5 languages



.........


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## xJula (Aug 11, 2009)

I speak English, Finnish, and conversational French

I was taught English and Finnish as a child and took like 6 years of french in school...I can get by pretty well with reading it.

I actually use the French (original) version of fmylife.com which is viedemerde.com to brush up, and it's amusing to read, unlike boring textbook stuff. It really helps when you want to understand what you're reading!


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## Sangiovese (Aug 11, 2009)

Did you also learn Swedish?

I remember seeing that it's standard for Finnish schools to teach it, but I have no idea whether or not it's true


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## enicoza (Sep 3, 2009)

I speak english and spanish fully fluently. I took french lessons and can speak it acceptably well. Just need to learn more vocab. It did take years though. But when I immersed myself in the language for a month in france my ability to speak it grew by leaps and bounds. I was no good with hebrew growing up, and I took a few semesters of japanese, so I can understand the structure. But I'll tell you this, full immersion is the quickest and most definitely BEST way to learn.


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## pasiphae (Sep 3, 2009)

I started learning English and French when I was in elementary school and studied these languages until I was 18. My school was Hellenic - French so that helped too. At the age of 18 I took up one year intensive Italian courses because I wanted to study in Italy. I learned a lot in year but I learned even more in the 5 months I spent there (I also got an italian accent!). It didn't turn out very well so I quit my school and came back to Greece, but at least I learnt Italian...

I think the key is to be passionate about the language and to try to absorb everything related to that language. Music, TV, internet, books, everything hepls. Good thing is that not many Italians speak English, so you will be "forced" to speak their language. But they are so kind and helpful, especially with ladies!!! ;-)


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## pinksugar (Sep 3, 2009)

pasiphae, you're totally right about the 'forced' to learn part, that's what I've found since I've been here, but almost everyone is really helpful and nice


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## pasiphae (Sep 4, 2009)

Originally Posted by *pinksugar* /img/forum/go_quote.gif pasiphae, you're totally right about the 'forced' to learn part, that's what I've found since I've been here, but almost everyone is really helpful and nice I know they are, and especially in the South. I know it's difficult but try to socialize with Italians mostly. Even if you have english-speaking friends there it's best that you speak Italian every chance you get. Good luck and I am sure you will enjoy your time there. Italy is a beautiful country!


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## mizzdesigns (Sep 5, 2009)

Well I speak Spanish and English fluently. I learned English first because I watched Barney all the time, but both of my parents are puertorrican so I learned spanish to perfection. Then when I got older I kept watching movies in English so I don't have a weird accent when I speak.


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## Lanci88 (Sep 30, 2009)

I was born in Serbia, so I learned Serbian via the rents.

When I was 2.5 we moved to Germany and I learned German (and became fluent) by watching TV...don't know how but apparently I was able to speak German when I started school there!

When I was 7, we moved to Canada and it took about 6 months to become fluent in English and FORGET all the German...I guess because my brother and I didn't really have any practice with German when we came here we lost it pretty quickly. I still know enough German to get around and I can carry a (simple) convo, but it definitely sucks that I'm not fluent anymore.

I think if you're really eager to learn a new language and are willing to put the time and effort into it, you'll be fine






Try watching videos in the foreign language too! Apparently it helps


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## pinksugar (Sep 30, 2009)

wow lanci, that's cool that you learnt so quickly, apparently if you're younger than 5 years old, it's easier to learn a language than after that age.

Thanks everyone for your responses, it's really interesting to hear how you all learnt!


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## ILoveMakeup84 (Sep 30, 2009)

Spanish my 1st language obviously jajaja...I learned english at my school. I had all my classes in english and only one hour of spanish a day. I learned Italian during college because it was required for my career (International Relations) to know a 3rd language.


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## weblily (Oct 9, 2009)

i know 3 languages HINDI,ENGLISH and FRENCH.

i learned hindi because it is our mothertongue.

english in school and french online.

i understand french and talk in french but i am not at all fluent in it.

because i lack the practice of conversation.


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## mili stuart (Oct 13, 2009)

yup.

ENGLISH and HINDI.

ENGLISH in my school and HINDi at home.it is the common language we use here at home.


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## SCouture (Oct 21, 2009)

Would love to learn spanish and french!!! scentcouture.yolasite.com


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## Shadowy_Lady (Oct 22, 2009)

I speak Farsi (Persian), English and French. Persian is my mother tongue and French I learned as a child when I was living in Africa (my dad's work). My parents moved us to Canada when I was about 12 so obviously I speak English too


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## Sonni (Oct 23, 2009)

German is my maternal language, then I got English in 5th grade, at first it was a fight, but after my parents sent me for a language course to England I fell in love with the language 

In 7th grade I took Latin, but that's not a language to speak. But it is a great base for learning other languages.

in 9th grade I took French, I was pretty good at it, but almost lost it all.

After my 9th grade I went to Brazil for a student exchange and my portoguese was great after that. But it's been 15 years since then, so I lost almost all of it, too.

Oh, and I speak a little bit Swedish 

But I do have a so called "ear for languages", so if you sent me to France/Brazil/Sweden for some time, I will find back into the language.


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## gracexd (Dec 14, 2009)

i am a filipino but korean at heart so i started learning hangul(korean alphabet) when i was 15. Then i started to learn how to speak korean. Now i can speak a little korean words^^


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